Meet Jamie Sands of Jamie Sands, DDS in Studio City

Jamie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today? I was a biology major in college and began doing internships trying to find my calling. My first job was in a biology lab growing bacteria in Petri dishes. I found the bacteria’s slow growth boring and the silence of the multiplying cells lonesome. I found out I was a people person, not meant to be alone for hours in a lab.

My father told me his dentist was looking for an assistant. My first day a young female dentist strolled into the practice around 10:00 a.m. She had a Chanel bag resting on her shoulder and a child holding each hand.

Designer bag, motherhood, flexible work hours that was when I decided I wanted to be a dentist. At that time it was a lifestyle choice. At nineteen I knew I wanted to have a career, a family and perhaps a chic handbag.

Dentistry has provided me with a career and a hobby. I have been an educator at USC for dental students. I have been on “The Doctors” and different news outlets and stations educating the public on oral health. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to volunteer at The Children’s Dental Center. I have been a spokesperson for Proctor and Gamble, a business owner, a health care provider, an artist, an amazing employer and a mother all in one career.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? I don’t think anyone’s career can be completely smooth. If it is, you probably have not challenged yourself enough. My biggest struggle was the dissolution of my second dental office. My partner was also my, soon to be, ex-husband. He owned the building. I had no lease. So after fourteen years in this joint practice, I had to leave and start over completely on my own.

This taught I could stand alone. I did not even have family in town to support me. I discovered my strengths, my skills, my creativity, my business sense and my self-confidence. I was able to build my business again from the ground up with my own sense of self and a new vision.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Jamie Sands, DDS – what should we know? I am most proud of the team I have built and the care I have given my patients. My average employee has been with me for ten years. Five of the 10 employees have been with me since the onset of their dental careers. I specialize in Oral Anti-Aging, Cosmetic and Preventive Dental Care. For some of my patients, I simply catch a disease at its onset, before a great deal of damage has been done. For others, my job entails restoring the severe damage created by time, negative habits, genetics, lifestyle, poor dental care or poor oral hygiene.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role? My biggest supporters and advocates are my team and my patients. My greatest achievements have come from my greatest failures, which have driven me to persevere and continue to learn. I am inspired daily by articles I read, stories I am told and people I meet.